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[3830] ARRL 160 K1LT Single Op HP

To: 3830@contesting.com, vkean@k1lt.com, mrrc@contesting.com
Subject: [3830] ARRL 160 K1LT Single Op HP
From: webform@b4h.net
Reply-to: vkean@k1lt.com, mrrc@contesting.com
Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2017 20:48:20 +0000
List-post: <mailto:3830@contesting.com>
ARRL 160-Meter Contest

Call: K1LT
Operator(s): K1LT
Station: K1LT

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Ohio EM89ps
Operating Time (hrs): 28
Radios: SO2R

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1464  Sections = 81  Countries = 41  Total Score = 408,822

Club: Mad River Radio Club

Comments:

When the contest ended I was disappointed that my score was lower than
last year.  Conditions to the east seemed particularly good, all of
the noise sources stayed away, and the band seemed very full a lot of
the time.  Normally I compare my progress with the previous year's
log, but I didn't do that this time.  Based on the number of Europeans
worked and the general crowding, I thought we were having a high
scoring year.

Some history of K1LT raw scores:

    Year   DX   K/VE  Total  K/VE   DX   Total
          QSOs  QSOs   QSOs  Mult  Mult  Score
    2007   101  1452   1553   78    48   429534
    2008   119  1350   1469   77    42   392105
    2009   238  1447   1685   78    51   526836
    2010   185  1419   1604   77    51   481664
    2011    65  1288   1353   77    30   310407
    2012    87  1388   1475   81    36   375687
    2013   117  1378   1495   82    32   380874
    2014    67  1359   1417   79    23   309570
    2015    94  1394   1488   80    33   368154
    2016    93  1435   1528   83    44   423545
    2017   141  1323   1464   81    41   408822

So the QSO count exceeds only 2011 and 2014 while the multiplier count
and score lands in the middle of the range.

After a few hours nap, I started reading the 3830 comments.  From
those I have to conclude that my score is on par with everyone else.
So maybe the result is not so disappointing after all.  On to the
excuses!

The only pre-contest work I did was to check all of the short
receiving verticals for corroded F connectors.  I fixed 3 of those.  I
tightened the ropes supporting the top of the "tee" transmit antenna
which made the SWR curve nicer than it has been in a while.  While I
don't think performance is affected very much, the amplifier seems
happier with very low SWR.

The contest started very fast.  The first DX, UR5AS, was logged prior
to official sunset.  2 more UR, 2 F, and 120 W/VE filled the first
hour.  Throughout the first night the rate held up with the usual
gradual decline.  There was no noticeable European sunrise
enhancement.  I used the recliner chair trick to stay awake most of
the time all night and had 1007 QSOs and all sections but PAC, AK, NT,
and PR a few minutes past sunrise Saturday morning.

During the night I noticed that the phased arrays did not seem to have
any directivity to broadside.  Usually the directivity is noticeable
to the point of being annoying.  Since signals were very strong and
the noise was very low, the lack of directivity was of little
consequence.

After a brief nap Saturday morning, I collected my daughter and ran
several domestic chores than had to be completed immediately.  During
this time I forgot about the directivity issue.

When I returned to the radio at 2130z, the band was already quite
full.  When I resumed CQing, I worked another European prior to
sunset, which was a good omen.  At 2130z I was interrupted by a family
crisis which consumed about 30 minutes with phone calls and
permanently erased some of the glow from the first night.

The second night was a much slower and slightly noisier repeat of the
first night although the European callers were more frequent.  When I
rediscovered the lack of directivity of the phased array, I tried the
Beverages, and I could hear much better.  So I switched to
transceiving with the K3, which at least gave me the opportunity to
play with my new Kpod.  After a while, I determined the problem with
the phased array was that it was stuck in the west direction because
the transistor that keys the power to the switching relays had
shorted.  So I removed the relay power which stuck the array in the
east direction and directivity was restored.  The rest of the evening
I used the phased array for DX and the Beverages for US thus
minimizing the amount of antenna switching.

After European sunrise, the contact rate became very low and I found
myself falling asleep at the switch.  So I took a 3 hour nap from
0830z to 1130z and got back to the radio in time to find 1810 to 1825
kHz completely full.  Three times I attempted to CQ in a small hole
and three times I was told to move.  The third time I just started
tuning to see if I could hear anyone working JAs.  When I reached
1825, I didn't hear any JA QSOs from stations east of the Mississippi,
but I did find KL7SB at 1825.5 and worked him.

After sunrise I gave up the idea of working Asia and started CQing in
the much emptier 15 kHz of joy.  One of the callers was KH6AQ.  So
only NT and PR remain as missing sections.  Around 1255z (25 minutes
after sunrise) I heard a weak caller so I tried to locate him on all
the receiving antennas.  On one of the Beverages, I could hear JA3YBK
signing his call twice.  Since he appeared to be calling me, I
acknowledged his call and gave him a report.  But this cycle repeated
several times and after a while, it seemed like he was not calling me,
but perhaps CQing by just signing his call.

In retrospect, I suggest that when conditions are good then everyone
works each other relatively quickly and resorts to CQing more readily
than when conditions are poor.  Thus good conditions makes for a
crowded band.  And while DX from Europe was better, there were fewer
Caribbean stations and for me no continental African or South American
stations.  In other words, every silver lining comes with a cloud.

DX worked: C6, CM, CT3 (2), DL (16), EA (4), EI (2), EU, F (12), G
(8), GM (2), GW (2), HA (3), HB, HI, I (2), KH6, KL, KP2 (2), LA (3),
LY (3), LZ (2), OE, OH (7), OH0, OK (8), OM (3), ON (3), OZ, PA (3),
PJ2, PJ4, S5 (2), SM (10), SP (5), SV, UA (4), UA2 (3), UR (9), V3
(2), XE (3), YL, YO (4), YU, and ZF for a total of 44 entities.  Note
the predominamce of northern Europe.

Equipment: K3/100, P3, Kpod, Alpha 8410, K3/10; 65-foot 'Tee' with 70
or so 125-foot radials, 16 23-foot verticals each with 16 23-foot
radials, 2 miles of RG6, and 6 2-wire Beverages; and too many
computers and SDR pieces-parts.  Also audio routing pieces-parts,
homebrew SO2R pieces-parts, more software piece-parts, Writelog
version 11 and all of its warts.

The following comparison between 2016 and 2017 of stations by US call
district from 'cbs' seems interesting.  Note the decrease in districts
1, 4, 6, 7, and 8 and the increase in district 9.  My most frequently
worked section was Illinois.

     2016                      2017
     Area   QSOs   Percent     Area   QSOs   Percent  
       0     145     9.5         0     141     9.6
       1     143     9.4         1     122     8.3
       2     121     7.9         2     119     8.1
       3     137     9.0         3     130     8.9
       4     200    13.1         4     176    12.0
       5     106     6.9         5     104     7.1
       6      82     5.4         6      70     4.8
       7     105     6.9         7      88     6.0
       8     144     9.4         8     128     8.7
       9     143     9.4         9     158    10.8
     Total  1326    86.8              1236    84.4


Posted using 3830 Score Submittal Forms at: http://www.3830scores.com/
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